Rumor: Sony Developing Smash Bros-Style Brawler for PS3

If you've ever wondered who'd win in a fistfight between Nathan Drake and Parappa the Rapper, you might finally get a chance to find out.

Sometime back in late October, a blog by the name of The Paul Gale Network began reporting on an upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive, (code)named Title Fight. According to the blog's author (Paul Gale, if you couldn't guess), the game in question is a brawl-style fighter that will match an assortment of warriors across a variety of stages in mortal combat. So far, nothing to churn the rumor mill over, right? Well, here's the catch: Supposedly, Title Fight's entire roster will draw only from Sony's exclusive properties, à la Nintendo's ever-popular Super Smash Brothers series.

Normally, when big rumors about big news crop up from small websites, it would be little more than wishful thinking for gamers to believe them. After all, news of something like an Elder Scrolls: Argonian Kart Racing game probably isn't going to break on some high schooler's tumblr account. Still, four weeks after his first report, Paul Gale's rumor is growing serious legs.

Reportedly, Gale is friends with (or at least has some dirt on) a high-profile inside source at the supposed game's developer, SuperBot Entertainment, from whom he gets all his information. A little digging by the internet revealed that SuperBot is an exclusive developer for Sony Computer Entertainment America, and is, indeed, currently at work on a secret exclusive title for them. It's also been uncovered that SuperBot job postings of late have all listed a desire for "experience with fighting games," but that's not all. Gale has been busy posting pictures of the development team shot from inside their offices, details of fighters, modes, and even a screen grab of the first character rendering, which you can see above. He's even linked to developer Twitter feeds which seem to perfectly coincide with his details.

If Gale is to be believed, the lineup will include over twenty characters, including Kratos, Parappa the Rapper, Nathan Drake, Sly Cooper, Fat Princess, Colonel Mael Radec and Sweet Tooth. There's even talk about the possibility of James Bond making an appearance (which might make sense considering Sony's involvement in the upcoming Bond film). Each of these characters will have three levels of "super moves" (which Gale promises to have a screen-grab of soon), including Sweet Tooth morphing into some sort of ice cream truck mech.

The stages revealed thus far include Jak & Daxter's Sandover Village (which may imply a Jak and/or Daxter character option), a Hot Shots golf course, and LittleBigPlanet. Could that mean a hypothetical Sackboy fighter in this hypothetical game? I'm hypothetically intrigued.

One of the most interesting components of this leak is that no one has fixed the faucet. In fact, it seems as though every time SuperBot knows something, Gale's database of info just grows in tandem. You can keep up with the story on Gale's frequently updated blog here, and see for yourself if you think Title Fight is fact or fiction. In the meantime, what do you think Escapists? Who would you like to see duel to the death if Title Fight becomes reality?